"One of the rudders has broken, sir," was the answer. "It's thrown us off our even keel. I'll start the gyroscope, and that ought to stabilize us."
"The gyroscope!" cried Tom. "I didn't bring it. I didn't think we'd need it!"
For a moment Earle looked at his commander. Then he said:
"Well, perhaps we can make a shift if we can repair the broken rudder. We must have struck a powerful cross current, or maybe a whirlpool, that tore the main rudder loose. We've rammed a sand bank, or stuck her nose into the bottom in some shallow place, I'm afraid. We can't go ahead or back up."
"Do you mean we're stuck, as we were in the mud bank?" asked Mr. Hardley.
"Yes," answered Tom, and Earle nodded to confirm that version of it.
"But we'll get out!" declared Tom. "This is only a slight accident. It doesn't amount to anything, though I'm sorry now I didn't take my father's advice and bring the gyroscope rudder along. It would have acted automatically to have prevented this. Now, Mr. Earle, we'll see what's to be done."
All night long they worked, but when morning came, as told by the clocks, they were still in jeopardy.
And then a new peril confronted them!
Earle, coming from the crew's quarters, spoke to Tom quietly in the main cabin.